Chapter 29

Returning of the Daughter of Darkness

Everything was going so fast … They fought without rest and it seemed the whole eternity has gone. Lucifer kept position in the throne hall; he was immortal and knew that only Diana can kill him as the 'crystal of real purity'. She was the energy of chaos and universe, unspoiled with light or darkness. Still the matter, she was made of, was human, so her emotions could break all. The explosion of her feelings could destroy the world in one day …

Armies mixed, killing more and more demons each minute. Adrenaline pulsed in their brains, they couldn't even hear their leaders or recognize anyone. Just a blade, just blood, just death around. Four riders of the Apocalypses made their way through the crowd, covering soldiers' eyes and ears …

Malletty saw her – the murderer of his brother. The riders' whisper reached his memory. Young Antonio Malletty, who had just joined the Holy Order, was shot on his first assignment. And she laughed so cruelly… This perverted demon …

Thousands of demons captured his sole and mind. Like an angry bull, he attacked her so hard that Seline flew through the window and fell between the sharp peaks of the roof. She couldn't call for help as her friends were too far and she was too weak. Emilio appeared at her with a huge silver sword. Selin arched back, then jumped on a peak, dodging of his heavy strikes. But he was coming closer; the blade sparkled in the bloody night. They crossed swords. Malletty's technique was just amazing and every attack - well planned, but she studied art of fencing so unsystematic with only one aim: to cause more pain. Even her jumps couldn't save from the red general's fury.

"I'll send you to the Hades!" he roared like a beast, crashing everything on his way. The vampiress squeezed the handle of her sword, remembering Mirek and Karen and Alex … 'I promised to kill him, so I'll do!' she gathered all her natural power in one last hit. And Emilio Malletty fell to her feet, breathing like a beaten animal. She could see his blood, streaming down his veins and arteries, and feel the smell of death. It was intoxicating; her head was like in fog.

Seline licked her fangs, her eyes turned into melted gold.

"Kill me! I'll die as a martyr!"

"Stupid fanatic!" she hissed like a snake, bending closer to his neck.

"Sel, don't!" Van Helsing stopped her with a gentle, yet hard touch.

"This bastard killed my friends and my duty's to finish his short life. Get off, hunter!" she pushed him few meters away. Malletty used the pause to make her to fall down, gave her a hit into her temple, so she lost conscious and then pushed from the roof. Gabriel hurried to catch her falling, but missed and watched her broken body, lying on the bloody ground far below.

"What've you done, Emilio?" the man said and then started climbing down fast. Dracula landed before him and took her gently.

"Damn, he's good …" she coughed, healing up her broken bones.

"Are you alright?" Van Helsing asked.

"Wait …" the woman touched her stomach. "Yeah, well, give him to me! I'll tear him on pieces!" Seline moved in count's grasp.

"Look!"

The three stared at the lonely figure on the roof with a sword in his hand.

The lightning illuminated his face, looked like an ugly mask. Malletty pierced himself with a sword; it looked like a colossus, broken in one wink. Gabriel took off his hat with a sincere grief.

"My friend …"

"Damn! I wanted to kill him! I betrayed my friends …" Seline hid face in count's shoulder.

"You did best, calm down. We still have work to do."

They returned into the hall, where soldiers were healing their wounds before the new attack. Few humans of the Holy Order came to the hunter:

"Our leader died. We want you to take his place."

"Well, I don't know …" Van Helsing was still shocked of his friend's suicide and could hardly think.

"You're the best warrior of the Order!" the soldier said surely.

Gabriel looked back at the couple of vampires; they've gone somewhere, leaving him to decide by himself.

"I can try …"

"Command us then! We've taken positions around the throne hall, where devil supposed to be. And we found lots of locked rooms here."

"Great, ah, go on, I'll speak with our allies."

Soldiers nodded and their new leader sighed with relief. He used to obey, not to give orders, but it seemed Seline felt pleasure when told her vampires what to do.

The three lent to the stone wall near the main gates to breathe some fresh air before exploring the other parts of Lucifer's fortress. They saw some humans, taking away the corpses of fallen and demons of Marinette, eating what left from their dead soldiers.

The scent of burnt flesh reached their nostrils, making them sick.

"I think you should go inside, Sel," Vlad offered to his bride, but she hissed angrily. "Stop acting with me like this! I don't need your care!"

"Have you quarreled again?" Gabriel asked Dracula in whisper and got Seline's hit. "I heard that! If you two won't shut up, I'll …"

"Wait! Listen …"

They tensed, hearing strange sound, going from somewhere above … A huge crater was in the sky, made of black … ravens.

"What's the hell is …"

"I guess the victory would be hard to get …"

Vladislaus opened his wings and flew up to have a better look. "Hey, they're not birds!" he exclaimed, then landed near his friend. "Just thousands of feathers or so, I can't tell exactly. Where's Selin?"

Men looked around. The vampiress had disappeared!

'Oh, my head …' Seline moaned, touching a large wound on her temple. It was so dark around and she could see nothing with her sharp eyes. A second ago she was with Van Helsing and her lovely Dracula and then was a flash and … she awoke here …

"Hello!" the woman called, trying to get up. Her legs seemed glassy and hands were rubbing her belly. She felt something heavy, creeping by her high boot and hurried to get rid of this thing. 'The thing' hissed, but not like a snake …

"Oh, damn, Ralloo!" Selin screamed, stepping back.

(A/n: "Remember? The demon like a black sticky mass, which attacked Van Helsing in the second part.")

"Enjoy time with my little friends, Seline?" sounded a sweet voice of a woman.

"Who are you?" Sel asked, becoming angry with these games.

"I am your greatest nightmare, my dear," the woman clicked fingers, appearing in the halo of white flames. "Call me lady Marinette".

"Ah, you're that whore of Lucifer, who captured Vladislaus!" Seline smirked, staring at the demoness. Ralloo hid behind her legs as was afraid of light.

"And you his last passion?" Marinette answered with a warm smile.

"What do you mean 'last'?"

"Oh, my dear, what if we look at your situation on the other hand?"

When she said this, the darkness around turned into a large hall with narrow stone pillars. Women were standing on one and the hall around was spinning so quickly.

"Try this!" the demoness stroke her into stomach, so the vampiress lost her breath. Marinette attacked again, but Seline dodged aside, keeping balance on a pillow, while the room was dancing in a crazy rhythm.

"Vladislaus should be mine and I like to get, what I want!" the demoness flew to her victim and gave her another strike. 'My child …' Sel thought, her hand touched her belly under the leather top. Blood was streaming down her legs …

"Say goodbye to your baby!" Marinette laughed, watching her foe, bleeding and weak. "Oh, feeling unwell? Truth that if you want something to be done well – do it by yourself. Malletty failed my assignment, but it's so easy! After I'll kill you, dark prince will be mine!" she looked at her nails, covered with silver, and made them grew long and sharp, then grabbed Seline by throat and raised her up.

"Why don't you call him? Too proud to get anyone's help? Impressive. But your pride will kill you … Any last word? No? Farewell then, my precious mommy!" the demoness directed her claws on one hand into her chest, the other was holding the vampiress tightly.

'I can't finish like this! Not now!' Sel turned into her hell-beast form and squeezed Marionette's wrist, her wings moved quickly behind her back. The demoness' scream followed the crack of bones.

"That's your problem, darling! Women become stronger when something threatens their children, especially if it's such bitch as you!"

Seline threw her enemy into the spinning room, breaking it like glass. The strange hall disappeared and she fell on the floor somewhere in the devil's fortress. Then the agony covered her body so she bit her own hand to keep the scream. The blood was streaming fast and she couldn't do anything. 'Vlad, I wish you were here …' she thought, tears escaped her eyes.

'Seline … ' someone familiar called inside her head.

"Angelica!" the vampiress raised her head. The witch was sitting near in simple white dress, her black hair was streaming down her back.

"What're you doing here?"

'I'm afraid you see just my sole not the real me. I died, but I'm here with all of you …' her voice sounded like echo. Angelic caressed Seline's face gently, rubbing away the tears. The pain has gone and the woman felt so warm and safe.

'Please, take care about my girl, I know you can … You've always been strong, never let us to give up … You know the true Gift …'

"I get it!" she smiled, squeezing her friend's hand. "Angel, are you in…"

'Hell? No, I was forgiven and let to be in Heaven. It's not like we heard it is …'

"Have I lost my baby?" Selin asked bitterly. The witch sighed, then embraced her friend and said, "I'm afraid yes, but you have the chance to change everything … And, by the way, Mira wanted me to tell you … she's proud of you and always was and … she loves you, ' Angelica disappeared. Finally Seline had a minute to cry … She cried about her child, about things she did not right, about time she spent on hate and destruction …

"Seline!" Dracula came to her and pressed closer to his heart. "I thought I lost you forever!" he started kissing her face, his hands were holding her so carefully. "What happened?" he asked then, looking at his hand with her blood on it.

"I lost our child …" Sel whispered, feeling so comfortable in his grasp.

"Marinette … planned it from ever beginning."

"Marinette!" he growled, his eyes turned into icy-blue.

"Wait! First we should awake Diana … Angelica asked me."

"Sel, she's …"

"Dead, I know, but she came to me before you and I know, what the real Gift is!"

"Van Helsing is already in Diana's chambers to awake her!"

"Damn, it's a trap! Come on!"

He helped her to get up and they hurried to the room, where Gabriel was ready to put a candle in Diana's cold hands.

Lucifer was laughing cruelly, relaxing on his throne. Devolio seemed more serious as he stayed without most part of his army.

"What amused you, master?" he asked cautiously.

"Those fools! They'll awake Diana and I'll get my queen!"

"But, master, what if she destroys us?"

"Devolio, my right hand, she'll be under my control as soon as she awakes. My plan is ideal at all aspects, just watch …"

The floor turned into mirror, where Diana's chamber was shown. Van Helsing was speaking with Vlad and Seline about the candle, which didn't work.

"Beautiful woman." the devil said, drinking bitter wine.

"Diana?"

"Seline … I kissed her once and I should say: it was unforgettable."

"What stops you from getting her?"

"My son is not a problem anymore … Nothing. Hmm, I'll think about it."

"What then! Stupid puzzle," Dracula lent to the wall, saying something in Romanian. Selin was sitting near Diana with closed eyes like was somewhere else, not here, but higher …

"Is it an end for us?" Gabriel asked sadly, holding the girl's hand.

"No, it's not," Sel opened her eyes and put hand on hunter's shoulder. "'You lost the true way', she said once …" Angelica's voice sounded in her head and the vampiress repeated. "'It's like a light at the end of a tunnel, it becomes more, when your minds and faith clear, if not, it's just iron …'. You know, when I was a human, long ago, I studied in catholic school … The Great Gift is a cross."

"Amazing! How did you guess?"

"The answer was close, but one friend helped me. You have her cross, Gabriel? Put it on her." the woman sighed tiredly with a weak smile and then fell on the count's hands. Van Helsing took the cross, small, silver one, and looked at Diana. She was so peaceful and charmingly helpless.

'O.K., Di, let's see, what happens next …" he put a cross on the girl carefully. It worked! Her cheeks got red and lashes trembled.

"Good bye, Mira!"

'Farewell, Diana, but, you have to know that when you'll awake, he can get you … Good luck to you and tell Seline, well, Angelic had already said her everything. Return, Di!'

Who am I? Why I'm here? Why is it so cold?

"Come, my Queen! My love!" Lucifer called, appearing from the flames. An electric wave threw Gabriel, Seline and Vladislaus into the corridor, while the devil was helping Di to get up. Her eyes seemed so empty and she was lost in this new world … New?

"Greet me, your master!" he said, pressing her closer.

"Master?"

"Yes, Diana. You're mine, my dear."

"Not so fast!" The trio came in; Dracula was carrying Seline on his hands.

"Ah, my friends! Behold! Diana, the Ancient power and my Queen of Hell!"